Project Manager

UNDP Careers; Palestine Township (IA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

UNDP Careers in Palestine seeks a Project Manager to lead the delivery of a major water infrastructure project, ensuring technical, financial, and administrative outputs meet donor expectations.

You will supervise staff and consultants, develop detailed work plans, monitor progress, and manage risks while upholding UNDP rules and promoting gender equality and inclusive participation.

Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in Water Resources Management, Engineering, Business administration or related field.
• Bachelor’s degree plus two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced degree.
• Experience in managing development projects and governance is required.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day project implementation and supervising staff, consultants, and experts, as needed, to deliver the intended project results.
• Ensure the timely and quality implementation of planned project activities.
• Develop detailed project work plans outlining activities, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and corresponding milestones.
• Monitor implementation progress, key events, work plans, deadlines, financial resources, and accounting records to ensure accurate and reliable financial reporting.
• Manage and monitor identified project risks, report emerging risks and proposed mitigation measures to the Project Board, and maintain an updated Project Risk Log.
• Ensure project activities comply with established financial, procurement, and administrative processes, in line with UNDP rules and regulations, while meeting project timelines.
• Ensure gender equality is integrated across project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, and analyses, including detailed analysis where relevant.
• Promote the engagement of groups and communities affected by project activities.
• Coordinate regularly with project partners and provide quality assurance for expert inputs and deliverables to ensure coherence and complementarity across project activities.
• Maintain regular communication on relevant project matters with local and international counterparts, consultants, and experts, and ensure the timely, high-quality delivery of all agreed outputs.
• Preparation of Project progress reporting, focusing on achievement of the following: (i) progress against planned activities, (ii) update on risks issues, expenditures, etc., and ensure timely submission of reports to the project board and donors.
• Build project interactive dashboard and reporting.
• Knowledge sharing and other relevant responsibilities pertaining to the project implementation.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Risk management

Monitoring and evaluation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Advanced university degree in Water Resources Management, Engineering, Business Administration or related field

Bachelor’s degree plus two years of qualifying experience

Tools

Power BI

Job description

Tiered Approach

In Line With The Commitment To Safeguard Capacity And Support Personnel Already In The Organization, a Majority Of UNDP UNCDF/UNV Vacancies Are Advertised Using a Tiered Application Process Whereby

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
  
  
  

Job Description

Tiered Approach

In Line With The Commitment To Safeguard Capacity And Support Personnel Already In The Organization, a Majority Of UNDP UNCDF/UNV Vacancies Are Advertised Using a Tiered Application Process Whereby

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
  
  
  

Please ensure you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) derives its mandate from United Nations General Assembly Resolution 33/147 of 20 December 1978. Called upon by United Nations Member States in that year, UNDP was requested “to improve the economic and social conditions of the Palestinian people by identifying their social and economic needs and by establishing concrete projects to that end”.

UNDP’s Palestinian Programmatic Framework (PPF) 2023-2027 sets out a vision of “a world in which all Palestinians can enjoy a dignified life and fulfil their own vision of a unified, peaceful and free society”. The PPF is centered around the concept of “Transformative Resilience” and its three elements: a cohesive Palestinian identity, self-reliance, and ownership and leadership.

Over the next three years, UNDP/PAPP will build on its experiences and achievements to make critical contributions to the priorities defined by the Palestinian national development plans and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), through interventions in three programmatic priority areas: i) democratic governance and quality services; ii) inclusive economic opportunities; iii) sustainable natural resources management.

The project seeks to strengthen bulk water supply in the West Bank through the rehabilitation and development of WBWD-owned wells, the upgrading of transmission lines, and the drilling of a new water well. These interventions will replace outdated equipment and introduce standard operating procedures for preventive maintenance, increasing bulk water abstraction by more than five million cubic meters annually and helping to alleviate severe water shortages in the southern West Bank. The project will also contribute to transforming WBWD into a modern and efficient National Water Company (NWC) by upgrading its overall ICT framework.

Furthermore, the project will support five service providers in Hebron Governorate to expand water coverage and reduce non-revenue water.

Duties And Responsibilities

The Project Manager will undertake the following functions

1- Ensuring effective project management by maintaining the delivery of appropriate technical, operational, financial, and administrative outputs:

• Manage day-to-day project implementation and related activities, including supervising and guiding project staff, consultants, and experts, as needed, to deliver the intended project results.
• Ensure the timely and quality implementation of planned project activities.
• Develop detailed project work plans outlining activities, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and corresponding milestones.
• Monitor implementation progress, key events, work plans, deadlines, financial resources, and accounting records to ensure accurate and reliable financial reporting.
• Manage and monitor identified project risks, report emerging risks and proposed mitigation measures to the Project Board, and maintain an updated Project Risk Log.
• Ensure project activities comply with established financial, procurement, and administrative processes, in line with UNDP rules and regulations, while meeting project timelines.
• Ensure gender equality is integrated across project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, and analyses, including detailed analysis where relevant.
• Promote the engagement of groups and communities affected by project activities.
• Coordination and building strong partnership with the implementing partners stakeholders, focusing on achievement of the following:
• Maintain strong relationships with implementing partners, line ministries, other relevant partners, and donors.
• Finalize contractual agreements with implementing partners.
• Coordinate regularly with project partners and provide quality assurance for expert inputs and deliverables to ensure coherence and complementarity across project activities.
• Maintain regular communication on relevant project matters with local and international counterparts, consultants, and experts, and ensure the timely, high-quality delivery of all agreed outputs.
• Preparation of Project progress reporting, focusing on achievement of the following:
• Prepare project progress and ad hoc reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks issues, expenditures…) and ensure timely submission of the reports to the project board and relevant donor (s).
• Prepare periodical corporate reporting.
• Build project interactive dashboard and reporting.
• Knowledge sharing and other relevant responsibilities pertaining to the project implementation:
• Ensure compilation and synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices throughout project implementation.
• Support the strategic sharing of relevant knowledge and information gathered throughout the project implementation phase.
  
  
  

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the guidance of the Assistant Special Representative and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist of the Natural Resources Portfolio. The Project Manager will undertake the assigned duties and will supervise the project team inclusive of Project Coordinator, Mechanical Engineer, one UNV and one consultant.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process

Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site .

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

Thematic Area Name Definition

Business Direction and Strategy

Effective Decision

Making

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources

Business Direction and Strategy Negotiation and Influence Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations

Business Development Knowledge Facilitation Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business

Management

Project

Management

Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources,

procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals

Business

Management

Partnership Management

Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and

policies

Business

Management

Results-based Management Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

Nature, Climate and Energy Water governance Water Governance for sustainable solutions.

Education

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Water Resources Management, Engineering, Business administration, international development or related field.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above fields in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree
  
  
  

Experience

• Applicants with Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience at the national or international level in managing development projects, including financial, budget, risk, staff, as well as quality management.
  
  
  

Desired Skills

• Experience engaging with multilateral donors, public institutions, and local government units is desired
• Proven experience managing complex projects including project risk identification, assessment, and development of mitigation measures is desired
• Proven Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation tools is desired.
• Experience in results-based management reporting is desired
• Excellent use of project management software and Microsoft applications is desired
• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNDP procedures is desired.
• Proven skills in developing donor and management reports using Power BI, and other visualization tools to present complex technical and financial information in a clear and impactful manner would be an asset.
• Experience in managing water infrastructure projects is an asset.
  
  
  

Required Languages

• Proficiency in Arabic and English languages is required.
  
  
  

Professional Certificates

• Project Management certification would be an asset.
  
  
  

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.